The day's work is over.
After dinner.
The educated youth settlement gradually quieted down.
Xu Xinghe used the excuse of needing to digest her food to wander around to the grove behind the educated youth settlement.
The woods were quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. She walked a few steps deeper and saw Jiang Linchuan leaning against a poplar tree, holding a branch in his hand, deep in thought.
Hearing footsteps, Jiang Linchuan looked up at her with a hint of wariness in his eyes. He only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no one was behind her.
Xu Xinghe walked to his side, leaned against the tree trunk, and couldn't help but speak first, "This afternoon, Zhang Qiang's daughter, Zhang Qianqian, came to see me and specifically asked who you are to me. Judging from her expression, she probably has her eye on you."
Jiang Linchuan paused in his actions, remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke, "Let's see. It's probably not her. She might just find it novel, or she might think I'm scary."
"How could it not be?" Xu Xinghe couldn't help but tease him. "She specially poured me brown sugar water and said to contact her first if I need anything in the future. She was asking about you in her words. I said you're too popular with girls. You're noticed by everyone wherever you go. When you were in the military, a nurse gave you love letters. When you got to the forest farm, even the brigade commander's daughter was interested in you."
Jiang Linchuan was quite helpless; his romantic prospects had indeed always been very strong...
The reason why no woman dared to approach him in the military was because he acted coldly and even somewhat aloof.
Jiang Linchuan reached out and gently rubbed Xu Xinghe's head, his fingertips touching her soft hair, his eyes full of tenderness.
The next second, he gently pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, feeling the warmth of the person in his arms.
Only in secluded places like this could he indulge his emotions a little.
But in just a moment, he released his grip, took a half-step back, and his expression returned to seriousness.
They're on a mission now, so they need to exercise restraint.
If people see them hugging, even if they explain that they are siblings, it will still arouse suspicion.
Xu Xinghe's smile also faded. "By the way, did you offend Zhang Qiang by fighting with Liu Hu today? After all, Liu Hu is close to him."
“No.” Jiang Linchuan shook his head, his eyes cold. “On the day we ate the whole roasted lamb, I specifically observed Zhang Qiang’s reaction. Although he seemed to treat Liu Hu fairly well on the surface, there was a hint of disgust in his eyes when he looked at Liu Hu occasionally. This shows that Liu Hu, relying on his relationship with him, must have caused a lot of trouble, which has already made Zhang Qiang somewhat impatient. Liu Hu is too clueless about boundaries. He gets a little benefit and then acts arrogantly. He has no good reputation among the educated youth and villagers. Zhang Qiang knows this very well.”
He threw the branch in his hand on the ground. "My actions this time, seemingly a conflict with Liu Hu, might actually have helped Zhang Qiang. It taught Liu Hu a lesson, prevented Zhang Qiang from taking action himself, and also maintained his image of fairness in front of everyone. It's a win-win situation. Zhang Qiang is a smart man and won't hold a grudge against me for something like this."
After listening, Xu Xinghe suddenly realized, "So you had already thought it through? I was worried that he would make things difficult for you."
"Well, I'm somewhat confident." When he undertakes a mission, he always thinks three steps ahead and considers everything he does, rather than acting solely on feelings or emotions.
Jiang Linchuan couldn't help but hook Xu Xinghe's little finger, "By the way, you can get to know Zhang Qianqian better and build a good relationship with her. She's Zhang Qiang's daughter and grew up in the forest farm. She might know something about Zhang Qiang, like who he associates with and where he often goes. These could be our breakthrough points."
"I understand." Xu Xinghe nodded. "She said she'd bring me brown sugar water tomorrow. I'll talk to her more then and see if I can get any information out of her."
Jiang Linchuan hummed in agreement and then added, "When you chat with her, don't be too deliberate. Just act like a normal friend and talk about everyday things. Don't ask about anything too sensitive to avoid arousing her suspicion. She's young and innocent, so she shouldn't be difficult to get along with."
The two chatted in the woods for a while longer, confirming their next plan.
Xu Xinghe was tasked with getting close to Zhang Qianqian and finding out information about Zhang Qiang.
Jiang Linchuan kept an eye on Liu Hu and the other former educated youth, hoping to see if he could sabotage their relationship.
Zhang Qiang's choice of Liu Hu must be for a reason.
If Liu Hu is gone, he will likely be replaced by someone else.
Jiang Linchuan wanted to become that person.
As it grew darker and the lights lit by the educated youth came on, the two finally parted ways.
Xu Xinghe first walked out of the woods, and after confirming that no one was around, she headed towards the female educated youth dormitory.
Jiang Linchuan watched her figure disappear into the night, then turned and walked towards the male educated youth dormitory.
Nothing was said that night.
the next day.
The morning sun was stronger than it had been in the past few days.
It's almost June now, and the weather is getting warmer.
Xu Xinghe squatted in the nursery, arranging the spacing between seedlings. Sweat beaded on his smooth forehead, and just as he wiped it clean, more beads of sweat appeared.
Afraid that her makeup would fade, she immediately turned her back to Zhao Xiaoyan, took out a mirror and some makeup powder from her bosom, and touched up the faded areas for a while.
After confirming there were no problems, they turned it back around.
10:00 AM.
A series of light footsteps approached.
Zhang Qianqian walked over carrying a bucket of water, a bright smile on her face, waving from afar, "Sister Li Juan! I've come to bring you water!"
Xu Xinghe stopped what she was doing and replied with a smile, "It's so hot, and I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."
Zhang Qianqian placed the bucket under the shade of a tree beside the nursery, first scooped a bowl of cool water and handed it to Xu Xinghe, then turned around and called to Zhao Xiaoyan and Wang Lili who were not far away, "You two educated youth sisters, come and have some water and rest!"
Zhao Xiaoyan was so tired she could barely stand up straight. Upon hearing this, she immediately put down her small shovel and came over, pulling Wang Lili along, saying, "Lili, let's go get some water and rest before we continue."
She had long wanted to get to know the brigade leader's daughter, since it's always good to have more connections in the forest farm.
But Wang Lili didn't move. Instead, she pulled Zhao Xiaoyan to the other side of the rock and said in a low voice, "I'm not going. I brought water. You can drink mine."
Helpless, Zhao Xiaoyan could only follow her to the rock and whispered, "Lili, let me tell you, don't always go against Li Juan. Look how powerful her cousin Li Guowei is. Yesterday, he single-handedly drove away so many people, and even the brigade leader is on their side. It won't hurt to get along with them."
"So what if he's powerful?" Wang Lili curled her lip, glancing at Xu Xinghe and Zhang Qianqian with disdain. "He's a grown man, he can't very well hit a woman like me, can he? Besides, didn't you see how good Li Juan is at managing things? She just got involved with the brigade leader yesterday, and today she's talking to his daughter. She's trying to secure all the connections in the forest farm."
“You can’t say that,” Zhao Xiaoyan sighed. “Zhang Qianqian seems quite kind. If we could get to know her, she might be able to lend a hand if we ever have any difficulties at the forest farm. Look how kind she is, coming all the way to bring us water.”
"Enthusiasm?" Wang Lili sneered, her tone full of arrogance. "I don't need that kind of enthusiasm. How easy can the brigade leader's daughter be to get along with? She may seem kind now, but who knows how domineering she is inside. Even if you get along with her now, what about later? Either you'll be constantly trying to curry favor with her, or you might accidentally offend her and be targeted by her instead. I don't want to live my life at the mercy of others, and you shouldn't get involved in that either."
Zhao Xiaoyan wanted to say something more, but seeing Wang Lili's stubborn expression, she swallowed her words in the end.
They had known each other for a long time, and she knew Wang Lili's temperament all too well. Once she made up her mind, nothing could sway her. She could only sigh inwardly.
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